TransComm FPGA Data Streaming Toolkit

TransComm is a toolkit of FPGA firmware blocks for implementing the communication fabric needed in applications running on systems of interconnected FPGAs. TransComm includes FPGA firmware blocks and driver software to allow communication between the FPGAs and closely connected CPUs. TransComm is a key component within the Phoenix family of data processing solutions.

Integrated FPGA and CPU Solutions
TransComm is a toolkit for implementing the communication fabric needed in real-time signal processing applications running on systems of interconnected FPGAs. These systems employ multiple FPGAs to provide much of the processing capability as well as the high-speed system interconnects (e.g., VXS links). The use of TransComm enables customers to interface their FPGA application processes to an established low-overhead, small footprint, low-latency communication fabric. Because CPUs are integral components in the target systems, TransComm also includes FPGA firmware and software to enable closely connected CPUs (i.e., CPUs with a local interface to an FPGA) to connect to the TransComm communication fabric.

System-wide Communications
The TransComm communication model uses streams to represent the logical flow of data between processes in a system; FPGA firmware processes and CPU software processes communicate by sending data frames through stream ports. A firmware or software process on any FPGA or CPU in the system can communicate with a firmware or software process on any other FPGA or CPU in the system without requiring direct connections between the FPGAs or CPUs by forwarding of data in intermediate FPGAs. Multiple data streams can transparently share a single physical connection; a customer using only Aurora would have to design his own mechanism for multiplexing and demultiplexing the separate streams on the link. TransComm can be used with processor cards or boards with embedded FPGAs e.g. high-speed analog I/O cards.

Simplified Real-time, Deterministic Solutions
Customers can simplify their application development by using TransComm’s predefined communication infrastructure; they don’t have to spend valuable development time implementing a communication mechanism to move data between FPGAs and CPUs in the system. By making use of TransComm’s existing IP blocks, developers can use the TransComm components that are necessary for their application to tailor the communication infrastructure to their application without having to alter the TransComm source code, thus ensuring the integrity of their communications infrastructure. Since the resulting communication fabric is tailored to the application, less FPGA resources are required compared to a communication fabric based on standard protocols designed for the general case.